I was so excited when the package containing Hand Printing from Nature showed up unexpectedly from Storey. The note simply read, “Kristin, I think you’ll love this book, enjoy!” I suppose that’s one of the many reasons I love working with Storey Publishing, they really get to know their authors. Anyway, I realize
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I have a huge WIP to share with you this week: a 24′ long mural! A little shy of a month ago I was hired to design and paint a mural for an elementary school. It was in honor of their successful community garden and the idea was to kick
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I’ve had so much fun making many many paintings this past weekend using the Assisted Painting method I showed you all in the last issue of the zine. In a few hours time I whipped up a batch of 5 paintings. They are all pretty small (4×4″ each) and I’m
Read MoreUpdate: Quarry Books is giving away a copy of Water Paper Paint to one lucky reader! Leave a comment between now and Tuesday May 31st about how you have or hope to use watercolors in your creative process! Please make sure to sign in so your email address is available
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Working on the mural reminded me of my first painting professor and of the importance of brush cleaning. After 50 different people worked on the mural (awesome) all our brushes were trashed. Paint up the handles, crusted, dirty, and half dry. Is there any coming back from that? We had about 10 nicer brushes and some fine tipped brushes of mine that I was intent on saving from being paint sticks.
Sometimes taking the day off is the best way to refresh and get new ideas. “Well yeah,” you are saying. Like everything else in life, easier said than done. Yesterday I came to the point where I had to decide between going to my painting class or writing a post.
Read MoreThis past year Diane of the CraftyPod and I decided to collaborate on a short and sweet little ebook on what to do with those leftovers related to giving gifts. Five months later, this amazing ebook has turned in to a 63 page resource on paper making, collaging with fabric,
Read MoreOne of the main projects in Diane’s and my new ebook Card.Paper.Ribbon. is taking wadded-up wrapping paper and fusing it to cloth, and then sewing into wallets and bags.
Read MoreDo you remember awhile ago how I made the Crafty Buddy embroidery set? And the little freebie thimble guy? Well, I’ve had a lot of fun playing around in the studio lately and wanted to show you what I’ve been up to. I have to say, that I really wouldn’t
Read MoreTwo weeks ago I posted about the color dilemma with the basket. Dilemma 1: the basket is not a color I like. Dilemma 2: what color to paint it! I decided to go with the yellow over the red. Often, with cheap spray paint (which is what I have), it’s so
Read MoreJason and I are always loosing our keys/phones/wallets/etc, we needed a solution. A key basket right by the front door was the perfect solution. The only problem is that it’s a little tacky. It looks okay, but is a little too… um… pink pastel for my liking. I was thinking
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Last week I showed you the chair and table set I have out on my patio. I really wanted to go with bright colors and patterned seat cushions, but was torn with the more practical gray and bright cushions – more timeless, more options with less hassle – want a change, just
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Last week I mentioned the chairs I wanted to protect against the rain. They are in reality dining room chairs, but both being pretty water damaged, I felt okay using them outside. They match the little table my dad and I made together (it folds up, pretty sweet right?), so
Read MoreAfter a few false starts I have finally finished up the kitchen tile redress project – and I’ve made the stencil templates into a pdf for you to print out and use. They are great for more than just tiles too! I was thinking they would look great to label
Read MoreLast night I had a bit of a tragedy. After I took my pictures of the popcorn garland the whole tree fell over! It was my fault. I had put all the ornaments on one side because I haven’t had a chance to make enough to cover the whole tree
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I love printing, just about any kind really. From the copy machine to silk screening to block prints and monoprints. I love it all. And one of my favorites, that’s the easiest, quickest, really fun and super easy to clean up is potato printing. You can print about on anything with them and they are cheap and the supply list is short unlike silk screening or even block printing really. Granted, you can’t get realllly detailed, but it’s great for greeting cards, pots of plants, even fabric really.
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